Cabbage soup diet

• 6 large green onions (also called “spring” onions)
• 2 green peppers
• 1 or 2 cans of tomatoes (diced or whole)
• 3 carrots
• 1 container (10 oz. or so) mushrooms
• 1 bunch of celery
• half a head of cabbage
• 1 package spice only soup mix (In the US, Liptons is a good choice)
• 1 or 2 cubes of bouillon (optional)
• 1 48oz can V8 juice (optional)
• Season to taste with pepper, parsley, curry, garlic powder, etc. (Little to NO SALT!)

Directions:

Slice green onions, put in a pot on medium heat and start to sauté with cooking spray. Do this until the onions are whiter/clearer in color (about 4-6 minutes).

Cut green pepper stem end off, then cut pepper in half to take out the seeds and membrane. Cut the green pepper into bite size pieces and add to pot.

Take the outer leafs layers off the cabbage, cut into bite size pieces, add to pot.

Clean carrots, mushrooms, and celery, cut into bite size pieces and toss them in. Add tomatoes now, too.

If you would like a spicy soup, add a small amount of curry or cayenne pepper now.

For seasonings, you can use a spice soup packet of your choice (no noodles!) or use beef or chicken bouillon cubes. These cubes are optional, and you can add spices you like instead (make sure not to add much salt, if any at all).

Use about 12 cups of water (or 8 cups and the 48 oz of V8 juice), cover and put heat on low. Let soup simmer for a long time – about 2 hours or until vegetables are tender.

Source link: Original Ebook

This is nothing new for those who have tried or heard about it but for those who haven't this is a must to give a try. I found two type of soup for this diet; a super spicy and tomatoey soup and this clear cabbage soup. I can honestly say that this cabbage works better for me because I can actually gulp it down compared to the spicy tomato one. This cleansing diet is not best for those who don't like vegetables and I suggest you to not do the diet if you are planning to add any meat or chicken in it because you MUST follow the exact recipe in order for it to work. If you know anything about cabbage you should know that they are bland and this recipe don't call for salt. NO SALT is one of the rule but you can use knorr cubes which has some salt like taste and if you can swallow that then you wouldn't look for salt at all. I personally love cabbage because they have a slight crunch even after they have been boiled and a faint sweet taste to it so this don't bother me much. I just finished cooking my batch and ready for this Friday. I had to post pone because I had a grad party to attend yesterday and it was buffet haha. 

You must do the diet for a full 7 days and be sure to check your weight before and after that 7 days to see your weight loss result. Check out the link to see the meal plan but I must warn you, it seems easy and simple enough but it can be a bit hard if you're thinking about how much soup you have to eat. The key is to eat as much soup as possible; the more soup you eat the more weight you will lose. It is recommended to only do this 7 day cleanse with 2 weeks gap. If you follow each meal plan the right way and no cheating you can lose at least 8-10 pounds within that 7 days period. 

I will keep you all posted starting Friday and a day-to-day basis until the last day. Join me on my journey to start up a healthy diet after this 7 days. Hopefully more healthy meal rather than heavy creamed pastas and loads of carbs meals haha. 

Would you consider this diet to cleanse you and to start up your diet plans?

Nocturnal again

I do not know why I am up so late and I did not even take a single minute of a power nap today. It's 3 in the AM Hawaii time right now and I feel so wide awake but my eyes are starting to shut down. Walter's busy with his xbox elite and I'm stuck in a cozy room with Patron snoring and farting away behind me. I received some secret good news today but let's just say I have more space around the house now; when I am happy I like to shop -- just a little. I headed down to walmart and bought me a new microfiber floor mop which I am excited to use tomorrow, bought the new Olay professional which I think I over used since I got home, and some nail clippers for Patron since I'm a groomer at home now. I am not a professional and I don't claim to be but it's okay to tell my own self that I am indeed the best out there -- on this block anyway. It has been so hectic around at home that I can't seem to find the perfect time to get away from it all and blog like I used to do. I am so caught up with everything, chores, work, school registrations, saving money, and all these other things that I don't have a category for. I will start fresh when July comes and did I tell you yet? I am gonna go on a diet for awhile so all these junk foods will be a big NO NO!

Give me a week and I will do a review on the Olay Professional brush and I will tell you if it's a go or a nay so check my BEAUTY category for the review and my two sense. Ciao.

-Elysia

Watch Youtube and save money

I'm changing up my schedule because school is starting soon and I need to change up everything specially my spending or I will be broke in no time once school begins.

• If you're a pet owner, grooming every 2 months will add up. Average for me is $70 every 2 months including tips. That's $420/year and it don't seem much but it is to my little tiny wallet and budget. Check out youtube and search for grooming tips for your type of dog and buy yourself a cheap set of clippers, nail clipper, and shear scissor for dogs. You can splurge a little on a groom table if you'd like but use a tall table up to your waist to save money. 
• Search youtube on how to trim your hair because like dog grooming, it should be at least 6 weeks to keep healthy hair from getting split ends. I pay about $40 including tips just to get a trim and that's about $360 a year so if you own a dog plus your trim, that's a whopping total of $780/year.  Shear scissor and some hair ties and you're set. Go for it!
• Buy some $1 herb seeds and built a wooden box from scraps, fill up with miracle grow and you have fresh herbs on hand whenever you need them. That saves your trip to the store and tax free! Added bonus, grow some tomatoes since they can be used in a lot of different dishes, eggplant, and some leafy greens.
• Check out youtube on how to make your own shirts or how to fix up old clothes to invent something new rather than throwing away everything and going shopping. 
• Use coupons whenever you can and as much as you can. It sounds so frugal but it will thank you later on. 
• Check out new recipes online rather than buying cook books because they are a waste of space when you think about it and that would be a waste of paper and money. Why not save your money and use it to buy ingredients for a meal right off of the internet. 

Saving money from now on

Just a quick blog since I haven't done much in awhile and everything has been so hectic. If you follow me on twitter, you will know that I have announced couple of weeks ago that I am heading back to school for a business management degree *pat self on the back* so everything shifted. My spending budget to my at home schedule which includes work and my social networks. Education is not cheap but you get what you paid for at this point. I'm cutting back on a lot of things and adding more things to my home remedies and MAJOR budget control. Here are a few of the things I have organized together for my routine and trying to prepare for school.

• Eating out less.
• Using coupons more than I already do.
• Bought the furminator and scaredy cut to groom Patron at home.
• Making a short grocery list and sticking to it!
• Never buy groceries on an empty stomach.
• Spend on bills and rest goes to savings account.
• Going out to shopping centers less.
• Cutting up old bath towels for at home rags.
• No splurging on cosmetics and beauty care.
• Using baking soda for skin essential.
• Buying vegetables, poultry, and meat from the farmer's market rather than bulk.
• Checking out Craigslist's FREE categories for DIY products. If no luck, don't be tempted to look elsewhere. 

I have to admit, all these are sort of hard to stick to but you learn once you keep in mind that you can't be spending money you don't have. Self control is all you need and if you don't have it, find other ways because I know there are loopholes but I am to scared to take risk on it. 

Life of a future college girl and always on the grind - TOUGH!

Machi over for the weekend

My grandparents are spending their yearly anniversary out of the island for the weekend and guess who came over? Machi boy has to be baby sat because he's a super naughty when my mama is not home plus he is very spoiled. Not at his sissy's house he's not because he has to obey my mom's rules . Don't worry, he has a lot of attention and he has me as a playmate but he always bark at me and growls. He was being naughty and biting at me any chance he got so my mom tried to fit the muzzle on his tiny snout. Sent this photo update to my mama and my mom got a huge lecture from her about how sad and pleading his eyes are haha. So two more days with this little 2 pounder and no more naughty house "rat". Please Mama, hurry and come home because uncle Machi is not very nice to me :( But don't worry I still love him. 

Love, Patron

BBQ Event at home

Hawaii's Dave's Ice cream has been around for awhile and I always have to buy me some of their frozen chocolate covered grapes. I had to try out the strawberries but they weren't as good as I thought it would be because they were super sour and it's $1.25 for one. I was very disappointed because the berries were very small and they were EXPENSIVE! I will probably end up making my own and sharing with you, bloggers and I will really go all out for you.

Right next door to Dave's ice cream is Foodland and if you ask anyone around here, they will tell you exactly how their fresh pokes taste like and they will most likely say that they taste very ono. Top: fresh Ahi poke -- Bottom: California poke -- both paired with some roasted ritz veggie crackers. It might sound kind of weird but it's like those fancy appetizers at black and white parties except Hawaii style. I can even eat these raw babies with mountain of rice haha. 

We decided to BBQ the other day since we haven't done in awhile due to.... you guess it; BUSY! Plus we wanted to see faces we haven't seen in awhile and Walter's bestfriend just got back from a five months work in Africa so what better way than a few "pupus" and drinks. We started the grill 2 hours early so we wanted to make sure we can taste the mushroom wrapped in bacon before anyone arrived and some fresh steak. 

Boy, did Walter do a great job or what?! This is what you call a juicy medium rare and the picture don't lie, look at all those juices flowing off the slice of meat and how beautifully done it is outside and inside red, juicy, and super tender. My mouth is watering just looking at how fantastic he had done it. I wish we still had some in the fridge but it's long gone. 

He always know when we have some cooking going on. Here is Patron waiting patiently for me to drop some crumbs and giving me his "I'm begging, Mom on ALL four knees" pose.

This is so random, I had to finish the night with some twisted extra cheesy cheetos.  Great BBQ, awesome food, and company. When you have the chance, go on and give yourself a break and have a get together with friends and share some laughter, it's great for the soul and for your tired sole. 

Oven baked chicken & home-made sauce

 

I really wish I could share the recipe for this bad boy but Walter is very proud that he made his own "secret sauce recipe"so i don't think I can give out the recipe for it. But I can tell you one thing, it was the first thing he ever made from scratch and I would hate to burst his bubble. 

We actually had a peaceful 3 days weekend and we wanted to have a little time to ourselves since we're always running busy doing this and that. He brought home a hundred dollar champagne from California and we had a few glass and it made the meal even more fantastic. It really brought out the taste of the baked chicken and it was super mm-mmm-mmm. I can tell you a little trick I do with boneless and skinless chicken thigh to make it crispy. Cover up the top of the chicken pieces with bread crumbs right before you pop it in the over and you will have a nice "crusty skin" and it's more healthier. Please don't forget steam veggies :)

Thank you Mom & Dad

It was one of those "just-because" kind of present. Thank you Mom & Dad, you didn't have to but I don't mind either haha. I love you. This is a beautiful black pearl set with the slight hint of diamonds. It's a very sophisticated look that could go with anything but I'm just like my Mom and will only wear these for such special occasion haha. 

Filipino sweet longganisa

Walter loves these things and he goes crazy for them anytime of day with TONS of white rice and his side dish of tomatoes. I love buying them at our local farmer's market down the road because they sell 2 pounds of these for only $7.25 and if I was to buy just a pound of these elsewhere I know I would be paying $6 for it. You have to love the farmer's market because they are all fresh, cheaper, and you can get it tax free if the vendor is nice enough. 

These longganisas are sold either sweet or vinegar flavor and both goes well with anything and tons of rice. I'm Filipino so anything with fermented fish sauce, fresh tomatoes, chopped fresh ginger, and raw yellow onion; pop it in the fridge til ready to serve just to let all the flavors mix together. Serve, enjoy, and be a Filipino for a day! MABUHAY!

Local deluxe breakfast

Walter and I enjoy this breakfast whenever we get the chance and yesterday was one of them. I always have to have my mocha frappe anytime of the day which is probably a bad thing because it is loaded with calories haha. The local deluxe consist of scrabbled eggs, rice, spam, and local sausage and the portion is very generous. In Hawaii, we LOVE our rice and spam and I mean with a passion and we won't expect any rice serving less than 2 scoops haha. It's not the best diet but trust me, more rice with your spam and sausage and sprinkle some black pepper all over with a drizzle of soy sauce "shoyu" will make your breakfast even better. If you're down here, wake up early and grab yourself a plate and head to the beach for a sunny morning :)

I have gone mobile meaning I can blog ASAP without having to wait YAY :)

Pet groomer at home

Hair care:
If you have a super shedder dog like my pomeranian, Patron then you know how much they shed and how annoying it can be. But the hair is probably not as annoying as the price you pay every 6-8 weeks to have them groom. I love my boy and I will do every single thing he needs, vet check ups, medicines, toys, treats, groom, etc. But these really adds up and lets not forget that super furry dogs are about $60 and up for my small dog, imagine a chow chow breed?! I seen a lot of reviews on this Furminator and decided to give it a try. I will do a separate post with the end result of Patron after his next week shower.
Let me tell you, the result was so crazy. I think Hawaii was snowing with brown and red fur, it was amazing and funny. This furminator helps lessen the hair flying around in the house and lessen the hair that goes on your favorite black dress.

I also found another thing that made things easier around the house with Patron; walking like the prince that he is. I also purchased Scaredy Cut which doubles up the duty with the whole grooming process. You will feel like a pro, bathing, deshedding, AND cutting; you don't even have measure anything. It comes with a few sizes of detachable combs that attaches to a shear scissor. Just comb thru the fur and any extra hair sticking up the opposite way, you cut.

Paw care:
I cut Patron's nails every 6 weeks when I groom him or you can use pedipaws but I've tried it before and it didn't really work for my pomeranian. He didn't like the sound of it and it freaked him out. He's okay with paw handling but he couldn't take the buzzing sound.

You can take a buzzer or use shear scissors but please be careful. Don't forget to buzz those fur that sticks out under the paws because it can matte and can make your dog slip.

Dental care:
People think it's very hard but dogs do need daily dental care like us. I love those long double sided toothbrush, meat flavor toothpaste, breath fresheners, and breath MINT. Yes they have all these things for dogs. Patron really loves the meat flavor paste which makes the whole process way easier to do twice a day, spray the freshener, and reward him with a breath mint made for furry babies. This helps stinky breath! Whew.

Small investment on the nail clippers, scaredy cuts, and furminator will be well worth it. Your wallet will thank you for it and it's a great feeling knowing that you are saving a bundle!!!!

Long and healthy hair

Sometimes it's pretty pricey to manage hair to look their best and it seems complicating but home remedies, cheap products, and teaching yourself a thing or two.

• Avocado and mayo hair mask
• Chi products
• Prenatal vitamins
• Youtube videos
• Lessen the use of heat tools
• Lessen coloring hair especially bleaching!

I don't do much with my hair because the more products I use, the more it will make my hair heavy, damage prone, and money being wasted. I've tried the avocado and mayo mask and it works well.

Ingredients:

1 large ripe avocado (for medium hair, depends on the length and amount of hair you have)

1 cup mayo

Instruction:

Scoop out avocado and cut in small pieces, add to blender and blend at low speed. Add mayo and blend to mix. Do not puree, make sure it's still a bit chunky, thick enough to stick to hair. 

You don't have to use a blender but if you don't want big chunks of avocado getting stuck in the drain then I suggest you to or mash really well with fork and hand. 

Apply to dry hair, make sure to cover every inch of your hair and you can cover with a shower cap or plastic bag just to avoid dripping on the floor. 

Keep on for about 20-30 minutes and wash off. Shampoo and condition as usual and let it air dry. 

***You can use this as a monthly hair mask to keep your hair in check, silky and smooth.***

Chi keratin mist

I like this bottle very much, it strengthen my hair and helps keep split ends out of the way. Honestly, ever since I bought it a year ago, I haven't gotten any split ends PROMISE! Spray on your damp hair after every shower, tussle a little, comb, and let it air dry. 

Prenatal Vitamins

Do you ever wonder why when women get pregnant they have that nice healthy looking hair? Those prenatal vitamins were doing a wonderful job with all those vitamins packed into a small pill. Take it once a day after a meal and drinking a glass a milk a day plus the prenatal will also benefit your nail growth. 

Youtube:

You can learn just about anything now a days with googling or youtube. Check out how you can cut or trim your hair, buy yourself a pair of shear scissors and chop it away. You can be trimming your hair every 6-8 weeks and this saves you money every 6-8 weeks. 

Lessen tools & coloring

Thank goodness I'm such a lazy when it comes to blow drying and hair iron that I thank myself for it. But for those who love their tools then I recommend to lessen your use of it. Too much really damage the hair even if you use heat protectant. Lessen your use of hair coloring too, but if you must I recommend trying out hair dyes from Lush.com

Do you have any remedies that you would like to share? How do you keep your hair in check? Care to share?

Soft kissable lips

No one wants cracked lips and I know for sure that your partner don't enjoy it either. Everything needs to be exfoliated and moisturize and lips are included. I heard of those honey and sugar remedy but why not double the duty when you brush your teeth? Yes, put your tooth brush and toothpaste to another use. Once a week, exfoliate these babies and moisturize EVERYDAY. 

Items needed:

Tooth brush

toothpaste

Instruction:

Wet lips with water just a little. Slab on a thin layer of toothpaste and let it sit for 30 seconds to a minute. 

Wet tooth brush and gently scrub your lips until the toothpaste work a lather. Scrubbing for at least a minute and wash off. Pat dry and don't forget to moisturize.

***Save on those expensive tube of lip balms and buy yourself a tub of Vaseline. A small $2 tub totally last me a long time, I'm not even half way and it's been 2 years since I bought it. Just dab some on and you're good to go. use vaseline twice a day to keep your lips hydrated and don't forget lots of water.***

Teeth whitening remedy

I don't have a bright sunny teeth or anything but I do like to have pearly whites because I'm very obsess with coffee lately and some not so good habit. I never had a problem with stain teeth and my dentist always compliments how white and straight my teeth are. I still would like to do my best to never lose that semi-annual compliment and whiten my teeth. My sister was obsessed with those crest whitening strips but they were too pricey for me and when I did try it, it made my teeth super sensitive which is one of the side effect BUT I hated the feeling. Now I stick with home remedy to save money for less chemical use. I keep tabs on all my weekly and monthly beauty care to keep myself in check.

Enough rambling but I use the most common thing, baking soda!


Items needed:
1 teaspoon baking soda
A pinch of salt
water

Instruction:
In a small container, add salt and baking soda. Slowly add drops of water until mixture is paste like.
Use toothbrush to scoop up and brush as  you normally do. Do not swallow and rinse well. Rinse with mouth wash, brush teeth with regular toothpaste, floss, and rinse.

I recommend using this baking soda mixture once every 2 weeks; nothing more. It can be harming and ruin your mouth enamel if used too often.